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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How would an artillery unit get to the castle?

2. What does Sharpe insist on with Farthingdale?

3. What type of attack does the French commander favor?

4. What does Sharpe send Harper to collect?

5. What was the castle originally?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Hakeswill do during the battle and after the French are repulsed?

2. What do the British do with the last of the rocket artillery?

3. What unit shows up after the castle is taken and what does Sharpe do with them?

4. How do the French respond after the first two attacks?

5. Who is spotted in the village that surprises Sharpe?

6. What does Farthingdale announce at the council of war?

7. What does the French agree to and why does Sharpe agree to it?

8. What happens when Dubreton comes up to Sharpe?

9. What happens at the convent after the British abandon it?

10. What do the French do the day after they take the convent? How does Sharpe view his situation?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sharpe's Enemy is one book in a series of novels involving Richard Sharpe. Discuss the following.

1. What are two advantages of writing a series of novels about the same characters? Illustrate your statements with details from the text.

2. What is a disadvantage of writing a series of novels about the same characters? Illustrate your statements with details from the text.

3. Do you prefer to read a standalone book, or a series of books with the same main characters? Explain your response.

Essay Topic 2

One of the main characteristics of Hakeswill is that he seems to like to inflict pain on others. He is absolutely amoral and spends most of his time thieving, raping, and dreaming of murdering those who he dislikes, which is just about everyone.

1. Unfortunately there are a number of people in the world who seem to like to inflict pain on themselves or others. Following research on sadism, discuss why Hakeswill is a sadist with examples from the book.

2. There is obviously deep seated psychological reasons why someone would derive pleasure from pain, either their own pain or someone else. Is it possible that people who feel this way have some common factors in childhood? Discuss reasons from a childhood you think could form a person to become a sadist.

3. There is great debate in criminal justice circles as to whether someone who commits homicide is mentally ill. Some say anyone who kills another human being except in self defense has to be mentally ill because sane people don't kill other people. Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Sharpe demands a duel from Ducos but Ducos says no. In other books in this series, Sharpe has fought duels. Discuss the following:

1. What is a duel? How is it conducted? Why is it conducted? When did the use of duels to settle matters of honor go out of use in England? The United States?

2. What other methods do you think could be used to settle a matter of honor or insult to one's reputation?

3. In England, dueling becomes illegal in the 19th century, yet men still engaged in them and the winner often has to flee to escape punishment. Do you think dueling should have been made illegal? Why or why not?

4. Research dueling in Britain and discuss the typical reasons two men would engage in a duel. Do the reasons seem worth the potential costs?

5. If dueling were still legal, can you imagine engaging in one? Why or why not.

(see the answer keys)

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